Nikki Haley earned more than $40,000 in 2007 and 2008 consulting for one of South Carolina's largest engineering firms.

Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley earned more than $40,000 in 2007 and 2008 consulting for one of South Carolina's largest engineering firms, according to tax records from those years released by her campaign on Monday.

Haley's work for the firm, Wilbur Smith Associates, was first revealed last week when the campaign allowed reporters to view her 2009 tax records. The records showed that Haley collected $2,000 from the company, money she did not disclose on state ethics filings.

According to the additional records released Monday afternoon, just hours before she faces Rep. Gresham Barrett in a runoff election for the GOP nomination, Haley earned $30,000 from the company in 2007 and $10,500 in 2008. She was first elected to the state legislature in 2004.

Robert Ferrell, the firm's southeast region business development manager, told CNN last week that he hired Haley because she was "a connected person who had access to a lot of folks and information."

Both Haley and Ferrell said that she recused herself from votes involving the company and did not tip off Wilbur Smith to upcoming state contracts.

Haley did not violate any laws by failing to disclose the income, the State Ethics Commission has said.

Haley has made government transparency a central tenet of her campaign and once put forward legislation that would compel lawmakers to disclose their income.

"All sources of earned income also must be reported whether or not derived from public or private sources," her 2009 bill read, according to The State newspaper.

Haley's campaign stressed that her time in South Carolina’s legislature has been "a learning process" and noted that she worked for the firm before introducing the transparency legislation.

"Nikki disclosed everything she was supposed to, and the Ethics Commission has confirmed that," said Haley campaign manager Tim Pearson. "In fact, starting in 2009 Nikki even voluntarily disclosed income that she was not required to. But she does believe the state law should be made stronger and that every legislator should be required to disclose all of their income sources, which they are not presently required to do, and she will continue to push for that as Governor."

The Barrett campaign has accused Haley of hypocrisy by campaigning for income disclosure while failing to disclose her consulting fees. On Monday, Barrett’s campaign blasted Haley for withholding the tax records "until only hours before the polls open to avoid public scrutiny."

"That Representative Haley failed to disclose $40,500 in income from a company with numerous state government contracts is deeply troubling," Barrett campaign manager Luke Byars told CNN. "And when that company's only public reason for paying her was her 'connections,' it raises a strong appearance of impropriety."

soundoff(16 Responses)

SensibleDem2

Hmmmm;haley,sounds like some replug,here in fl that got caught.Boy,the replugs really aren't nothing,but, a bunch of crooks.

June 21, 2010 08:29 pm at 8:29 pm |

Glenn Koons

Don't you love the CNN, other liberal sites blasting a minority female Pub for something that liberal babes do all the time without any media attention? And of course, her opponent is doing the blasting just to keep SC from impurity. The voters will elect Haley and she will defeat the liberal socialist Dem who opposes her. She is just a pol who is on the other side of the liberal Dem corruption machine. Frankly, I am sick and tired of libs and the MSM taking out after Pub females. Time for the media to expose the liberal babes who bathe in the adoration of the elites, special interests and use anti-liberty comments to get elected; ala Boxer, Waters, Jackson-Lee.

June 21, 2010 08:42 pm at 8:42 pm |

Buddy

Where do all these losers like Haley even come from ? Hopefully she is not going to win an election.

June 21, 2010 08:43 pm at 8:43 pm |

JLP

Strong appearances are not violations of the law. The Barrett campaign needs to come up with real answers to state problems and less time on dirt daubing.

June 21, 2010 08:50 pm at 8:50 pm |

duke

she should go to jail for lying. typical republican liar crook .

June 21, 2010 08:51 pm at 8:51 pm |

HK Polston

Wow, a hypocritical lying Republican – I'm shocked. Wonder how long after she's elected she has the sitdown crying jag about how she made mistakes in her marriage and asks for privacy.

June 21, 2010 09:14 pm at 9:14 pm |

Jane

So what! Congressmen make more $$ than people realize; most of it in favors–wink–wink!!!!!!!!!

June 21, 2010 09:18 pm at 9:18 pm |

JR

Then, Nikki Haley is highly qualified for the GOP nomination, so she is winning tomorrow.
I am deeply sorry for Rep. Gresham Barrett. Unless he could disclose to us that he doesn't care about the law as well.

June 21, 2010 09:23 pm at 9:23 pm |

Marie MD

LOL!!! :):)
"Haley collected $2,000 from the company, money she did not disclose on state ethics filings." and "That Representative Haley failed to disclose $40,500 in income from a company with numerous state government contracts is deeply troubling,"
No wonder the retarded bimbo from AK came to campaign for her and stood by her as another cheating wife.
This gets better and better all the time. Unfortunately, because it IS SC after all, she might win the nomination.
I would be ashamed to live or have been born in SC. Weren't they going to secede. What happened? Please continue with your plans. The rest of the US doesn't want or need you.

June 21, 2010 09:25 pm at 9:25 pm |

JonDie

"...she was 'a connected person who had access to a lot of folks and information.' "

Yeah she's connected to a lot of folks. Tell us more!

June 21, 2010 09:42 pm at 9:42 pm |

John

Corrupt greedy idiot!

June 21, 2010 09:47 pm at 9:47 pm |

A Patel

What's the issue: Aren't all politicians above the law??? The rule of thumb is: If you introduce a bill that applies to all citizens, then it does not apply to you and your fellow politicians. If you introduce a bill that applies to all politicians, then it does not apply to you. This is not complicated at all. These are signs of our future leaders. If you can't violate an ethical boundary, then you are not fit to run for an office.

June 21, 2010 09:47 pm at 9:47 pm |

Darth Vadik, CA

Re-re -re -reaaalllyy?

Well, she is a Republican, a little ethics violation never stopped any of them.

June 21, 2010 10:36 pm at 10:36 pm |

concerned citizen

Just like Saint Sarah, squezing money for all means, but she is a CONSERVATIVE REFORMER, One more for the hypocresy of the taliban wing of the republican party

June 21, 2010 10:37 pm at 10:37 pm |

Rrr

She makes a perfect republican politician!

June 21, 2010 10:46 pm at 10:46 pm |

consulting for one of South Carolina's largest engineering firms

gotta make a living

so what if it involved using her office to give insider information and exclude other firms to give those paying her the contracts